There is a well-known double locking-type electrical connector in which a double-locking member is inserted from the back end of the housing as disclosed in Japanese Patent Publication No. 1-43986.
This type inserts a double-locking member from the back end of the housing and the locking action of the electrical contacts is a double locking which makes use of a housing lance and a locking action which makes use of a double-locking member. It is advantageous in that the electric contact-retaining force is reinforced and makes it possible to tell when the contact has not been inserted completely and presses in the electrical contact when it is not completely inserted.
However, in the above-mentioned type of double locking-type electrical connector, the multiple electrical contact housing chambers of the housing are separated and the double-locking member is separated by partitions which are arrayed at the same intervals as the above-mentioned partitions. When the electrical contact is housed in the above-mentioned electrical contact housing chamber, the partition on the above-mentioned housing and the partition of the double-locking member are arrayed on the same flat surface and are at the temporary locking position of the so-called double locking member. The electrical contact is guided by this into the chamber of the housing, is again guided along the chamber of the housing and is housed in the indicated contact housing chamber. Then, both of the above-mentioned partitions shift from a position where they are arrayed on the same flat surface as mentioned above and are positioned so that each of the partitions of the double-locking member fits in between each of the partitions of the housing and is set at the principal locking position of the double-locking member.
However, there were problems in the conventional double locking-type electrical connector described above in that, when the above-mentioned double-locking member was set in the temporary locking position, there was somewhat of a space between the partition of the housing and the partition of the double-locking member. Therefore, the front end of the electrical contact which was inserted made contact with the end part of the top side of the partition of the housing, the back end of this electrical contact was fitted into the above-mentioned space and the electrical contact was not inserted smoothly. In particular, there were a great number of electrical contacts inserted and the size of the electrical contacts decreased and at the same time the above-mentioned electrical contacts could no longer be inserted smoothly.
Another well known double-locking type electrical connector is disclosed in Japanese Utility Model Publication No. 3-106668, wherein the double-lock member is equipped with guide walls extending up and down in two directions from the contact insertion hole toward the forward direction thereby guiding the contact smoothly into the contact housing chamber.
Nevertheless, when inserting the contact, there are occasions when the contact is inserted inclined not just in the up or down direction but also in the left or right direction. Therefore, in the double-lock member which has the vertical guide walls, when the contact is inserted inclined left or right there is concern that the front end of the contact may engage with the rear end of the lateral partition forming the contact housing chamber, and it is difficult to say that the contact push-in operation has been adequately improved.
It is an object of the present invention to take into consideration these conditions and to provide a double locking-type electrical connector which can have inserted the electrical contacts smoothly in the electrical contact housing chambers of the connector housing in the temporary locking position of the double-locking member.
Another object of this invention, in view of the above noted situation, is to provide a double-lock-type electrical connector designed to improve the contact insertion operation b making it possible to smoothly insert a contact without colliding with the rear end of the contact accommodation chamber's partition.